Cigarette making machine



3-! reb. 18, W69 M. PATTERSON CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE Sheet Filed March 25, 1965 INIENTOR MOREHEAD PATTERSON (DECEASED) GEORGE S. HILLS (EXECUTOR) Feb. 18, 1969 PATITERSON v 3,428,052

CIGARETTE MAKINQ MACHINE Filed March 25, 1963 BY W J TTOR NE Y United States Patent Ofiiice 3,428,052 Patented Feb. 18, 1969 3,428,052 CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE Morehead Patterson, deceased, late of New York, N.Y., by George S. Hills, executor, New Rochelle, N.Y., assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 96,226, Mar. 16, 1961. This application Mar. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 287,730 U.S. Cl. 131-84 1 Claim Int. Cl. A24c 5/18; A24b 7/14, 9/00 This is a continuation-in-part of Morehead Patterson patent application, Ser. No. 96,226, filed Mar. 16, 1961, for Cigarette Making Machine, and now abandoned.

This invention relates to the making of cigarettes and is primarily concerned with a method for making cigarette rods of uniform density and compaction.

It is the purpose of the present invention to first feed tobacco along one path and then along another path in the opposite direction and to remove and redistribute a portion of the tobacco stream fed in this manner to obtain a tobacco rod of uniform density.

Another object of this invention is to provide a rod forming device wherein tobacco is fed in an amount in excess of that required for a tobacco rod and then trimming oif tobacco in excess of a predetermined amount from this stream and redepositing the same in the in coming tiller stream in a position where it will not undergo trimming a second time.

A further object is to trim a tobacco stream as it travels around a wheel and to then return the trimmed tobacco to a variable tobacco feed for redeposit in the filler stream before the stream reaches the trimming device.

Another object is to trim tobacco from a tobacco stream in excess of a predetermined amount and to redeposit such trimmed tobacco back onto the tobacco stream by a variable tobacco feed in response to detections made by a detector on the stream before it reaches the redepositing station.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear as the description of the particular embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses. In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, like characters of reference have been applied to corresponding parts throughout the several views which make up the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical schematic View, partly in section, of apparatus for making uniform cigarette rods; and

FIG. 2 is a vertical schematic view, partly in section, showing a modified form of the invention.

In my invention, referring to FIG. 1, a suitable continuous source of supply of metered shredded tobacco is employed to deliver a continuous shower of tobacco. This shower of shredded tobacco falls through a vertically disposed duct 10 onto a first conveyor 11 including a plurality of spaced rollers such as 12, 12A and 12B and a belt 13 trained on the rollers to form a first tobacco stream 13A. The belt 13 moves in the direction indicated by the arrows. A second conveyor or reversing wheel or drum 14 is disposed above the belt 13 of the conveyor 11 and is fixedly secured on a shaft 15 which is rotated by the cigarette making machine to rotate the drum in the direction indicated by the arrow. Suitable means are provided for holding the shredded tobacco on the drum 14 between A and B. In this embodiment the surface of the drum 14 is provided with perforations 16, only some shown, and a suction shoe 17 is positioned in the drum and extends from A to B and draws air through the perforations to hold the second shredded tobacco stream 17a on the drum between A and B. When the shredded tobacco on the belt 13 of conveyor 11 reaches location A the suction of suction shoe 17 drawing air through perforations 16 picks the tobacco up off the belt onto the drum 14. The shredded tobacco is held on the drum 14 from A to B by suction as described above. 7

Suitable means are provided at position B for trimming off tobacco extending above a predetermined height on the periphery of the suction wheel 14 and for moving this trimmed off tobacco from one elevation to another. This latter means could be a chute 18 as shown in FIG. 1 for conveying the trimmed off tobacco from a higher elevation to a lower elevation or any other suitable conveyor.

The chute 18 is positioned above the belt 13 of the conveyor 11 and extends to the upper part of the drum 14 to receive the trimmed tobacco.- For purposes of illustration only, -I have shown the trimming device 19a to consist of a vertically disposed shaft 19 which projects into the upper end of the chute 18 and is driven by the cigarette making machine, and a knife 20 which is fixedly secured on the lower end of the shaft. An ejection wheel 21 is disposed in contact with knife 20 and is fixedly secured to the shaft. The knife 20 trims off tobacco from one side of the stream on the drum 14 and the ejection wheel directs the trimmed off tobacco into the chute 18 and the trimmed oif tobacco slides down the chute. A shaft 22 is rotatably mounted in the chute 18 and a pin Wheel 23 is fixedly secured on the shaft and a pulley 24 is also fixedly secured on the shaft.

An electric motor 25 is suitably mounted on a support and a pulley 26 is fixedly secured on the motor shaft and a belt 27 is trained on the pulleys 24 and 26 so that the electric motor drives the pin wheel 23 at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow.

A shaft 28 is rotatably mounted in the chute 18 and a picker wheel 29 is fixedly secured on the shaft. The pin Wheel 23 permits the trimmed oii tobacco to move down the chute 18 and when the tobacco moves past the picker Wheel 29 it causes rotation of the picker wheel in the direction of the arrow. The pin wheel 23 and the picker wheel 29 together redistribute the trimmed ofi tobacco, eliminating lumps that may be in the trimmed oif tobacco. The trimmed off tobacco is moved out of the chute 18 by pin wheel 23 and picker wheel 29 so that the trimmed oif tobacco is deposited on the top of the stream of tobacco 13a between the duct 10 and the drum 14 in an amount to promote the formation of a stream of a constant and uniform cross section at the output of the trimmer 19a.

The shredded stream of tobacco remaining on the drum 14 after the trimming operation is stripped off the drum by a stripper 30. The stream of tobacco then moves through a conventional compressor roller 31 where it is formed into a cigarette rod. Cigarette paper 32 is unrol'led from a roll 33 onto the folder belt 34 and the cigarette rod and cigarette paper go through a folder 35 and then past a paste applier 36 and then past an ironer 37 to form a cigarette rod. The cigarette rod then passes through a reciprocating knife 38 which severs the rod into the lengths desired.

FIGURE 2 shows a modified form of the invention. In this form of the invention a detector 39 is positioned along the belt 13 of the conveyor 11 between the duct 10 and the chute 18. Two electrodes are shown, above and below the upper run of the belt 13. If it is desired to use only one electrode, this electrode is placed just above the upper run of the belt 13 and the machine is grounded. The detector 39 is electrically connected to an amplifier and controller 40 and the amplifier and controller is electrically connected to an electric motor 41. The detector 39 detects the additional amount of tobacco needed by the belt 13 to form a uniform stream of tobacco on the belt. The pin wheel 23 moves trimmed ofl? tobacco 3 through the chute 18 to the belt 13 of the conveyor 11, the picker wheel 29 aiding this delivery in accordance with the speed of the pin wheel 23.

The detector 39 sends a signal to the amplifier and controller 40 and the amplifier and controller increases or decreases the speed of the motor 41 so that the motor increases or decreases the speed of the pin wheel 23. By increasing or decreasing the speed of the pin wheel 23, the picker wheel 29 will permit delivery of the correct additional amount of trimmed off tobacco needed to the belt 13 of the conveyor 11 to make a uniform stream of tobacco. If desired, reference may be made to US. patent application for Cigarette Making Machine of Bell, Ser. No. 801,106, filed Mar. 23, 1959 and now abandoned, and US. patent application of Harrison, McArthur and Yelverton, Ser. No. 863,043, filed Dec. 30, 1959 and now Patent No. 3,146,780, issued Sept. 1, 1964, for a more detailed discussion of this type of supplemental feed. The pin wheel 23 and the picker wheel 29 together also redistribute the trimmed off tobacco so that lumps of tobacco in the chute 18 are eliminated.

Attention is called to the fact that the tobacco which is trimmed ofi the upper strata of the stream by the trimmer 19a in each embodiment, after being returned in the stream to the trimmer is in the lower strata of the stream so that it is not again subjected to trimming. The pin wheel 23 and the picker wheel 29 in both forms of the invention redistribute the trimmed off tobacco in the chute 18 so as to eliminate lumps that may be in the trimmed E tobacco thus assuring that the trimmed off tobacco fed by the chute to the tobacco stream will result in a uniform stream of tobacco.

It is emphasized that, as stated in the foregoing, tobacco is fed in an amount in excess of that required for a cigarette rod and that the excess is trimmed. The average thickness of the stream as originally formed is somewhat greater than would result from showering only the tobacco ultimately required to form the rod. Tobacco accumulates continuously in chute 18 to which the trimmings are directed. The chute, as indicated in FIG. 1, is quite commodious and serves as an ample continuous secondary source of tobacco supply. Obviously, since in the mode of operation taught herein, two sources of supply are provided, the excess showered from the math source of supply through duct should not be so great that the stream, immediately after its original formation, is of greater thickness than required in every elemental cross section. This, even without a second showering, would involve trimming an inordinate amount of tobacco with incidental degradation in tobacco quality. Since the tobacco falls through duct 10 onto the belt randomly, hills and valleys are formed in the stream. If the amount of tobacco from duct 10 were so great that the lowest valleys were higher than required, the highest hills would be much higher than required, and the compaction on the suction wheel and resultant density of the tobacco in the eventual cigarette rod would be widely variable.

The second showering, that from the chute 18, although continuous, because there is always an ample supply of tobacco in the chute, is nevertheless inevitably random also. However, the two random showerings tend to average out the height of the hills and valleys and to make the stream more uniform in each of its elemental cross sections as it approaches the suction wheel. As a result of this, compaction prior to trimming is more uniform and the density of the tobacco in the ultimate cigarette rod is also more uniform.

What is claimed is:

1. In the method of making a continuous cigarette rod, the steps of forming a moving stream of shredded tobacco in excess of that required for the rod, stripping the exoess tobacco from the surface of the stream, forming the remaining stream into a rod, storing the stream of stripped excess tobacco, delivering a continuous uniform supply of excess tobacco to the initial moving stream.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,660,177 11/ 1953 Rault 13184 3,059,650 10/ 1962 Gamberini 131-84 2,519,089 8/ 1950 Whitaker 13121 2,938,521 5/ 1960 Lanore. 3,026,878 3/1962 Eissman 13 11 10 XR 3,130,733 4/1964 Martin 131--84 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 1,245,309 9/ 1960 France. 1,248,179 10/1960 France.

837,888 6/1960 Great Britain.

584,344 10/ 1958 Italy.

940,155 10/ 1963 Great Britain.

940,156 10/1963 Great Britain.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

1. IN THE METHOD OF MAKING A CONTINUOUS CIGARETTE ROD, THE STEPS OF FORMING A MOVING STREAM OF SHREDDED TOBACCO IN EXCESS OF THAT REQUIRED FOR THE ROD, STRIPPING THE EXCESS TOBACCO FROM THE SURFACE OF THE STREAM, FORMING THE REMAINING STREAM INTO A ROD, STORING THE STREAM OF STRIPPED 